and other things....
This is my daily art blog.
I'm artist Dee Sanchez and I live and work in Alameda, New Mexico - the land of blue skies, red hills, and three unique cultures.
What a beautiful place to paint! Join me on my daily painting quest, my plein air adventures, my video logs, my "getting ready for a show" preparations, my painting tips, and I may even throw in an opinion or two...I also document my struggles with getting healthy and my crazy family life

Saturday, October 02, 2010

a few of my favorites

BOOKS

Books are some of my favorite things in the whole world. I read constantly; mostly art-related books, non-fiction, how-to, self-help, philosophy, spirituality-based, you name it. Someone has asked me to list some of the books I devoured when I was learning how to paint and market my work, so I will start with the ones that I feel imparted the most useful information. This book, "Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light & Color" by Kevin Macpherson is one of my favs. I also love his follow-up book, "Landscape Painting Inside & Out." These books are simply beautiful, filled with great photos, easily readable text, and gave me such valuable information that I feel like I owe Mr. Macpherson a debt of gratitude. He also lives in Taos, which is a big plus in my mind. So this is the first of many books I will share with you.

I am a self-taught artist. I learned by reading. Then by doing. I had no real teachers, which is good, because I have my own individual style, which I love. That's one reason I don't attend artist's workshops - I don't want to be influenced by another person's work. I don't want to paint like anyone else. Okay - maybe there are a couple of people I admire! But with books, it's different. You read one and then you pull what you really need and will use from each one. Eventually and with much much much painting, your style will shine through. Did I mention that I have painted miles of canvas to be where I'm at at this moment? And that I still have a long way to go? And that I will never stop learning how to paint? There will always be a challenge for me out there. So for my fellow artists out there, just keep reading and put in the work. Paint, paint, paint.

1 comment:

Hi Dee, we've met a couple of times at different art shows. Isn't it funny I just was looking, one more time, at this book at Barnes and Noble yesterday pondering buying it or just going and checking it out at the library. Your artwork is gorgeous, love it!